Branding the State, as far back as the 1930s

“The conversion of quarters into entertainment modules of a differentiated urban adventure zone cannot be overlooked. Indeed the discussion of the future of cities in recent years has revolved primarily around the aspect of disneyfication and a general subordination to the imperative of the economy. […]

Enhancing attractiveness for tourism, for example, relies just as much on art and culture as on striking natural attractions and landmarks, which can meanwhile be artificially created in the form of spectacular architecture. The formation of city images and metropolitan corporate identity in turn imitate successful campaigns from the tourism sector, which has itself taken over strategies from commercial advertising.

The commodification of attributes that are attractive to tourists, which is at the base of these strategies, is not a new phenomenon, however. The invention of catchy logos with high recognition value already marked pre-war modernism, whose sophisticated graphic design not only stylized industrial products into internationally competitive brands, but also transformed abstract entities into quality features. Hans Domizlaff’s groundbreaking ideas on the design of comprehensive brand identities from the 1930s even constructed the state as a brand needing a strong visual identity and force of style.”